Prosecutors sought a one-year prison term on Tuesday for a civilian diver accused of professional negligence that led to the death of another civilian diver.
The defendant, identified only by his family name Kong, was in charge of managing other divers during search operations of the sunken ferry Sewol last year.
Prosecutors demanded the sentence during a trial against Kong over the death of the 53-year-old civilian diver, identified only by his family name Lee, who died during search operations.
The ferry sank off the southwest coast on April 16, 2014, claiming more than 300 people, mostly high school students on a field trip.
Lee is among 11 people who died during the search operations.
"While the Korea Coast Guard took the overall responsibility, the prosecutors shifted the blame to me," Kong said, adding that he just took up the role of the supervisor of civilian divers because he was the most experienced diver.
A district court in the country's southwestern port city of Mokpo is set to deliver a sentence on Oct. 1. (Yonhap)
